N※N

US Sen. Lindsey Graham draws line on shutdown: Fund government first, talk health care later

  //politics-government.news-articles.net/content/ .. und-government-first-talk-health-care-later.html
  Published in Politics and Government on Monday, October 27th 2025 at 17:52 GMT by Post and Courier

• 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
• 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source

2025-10-27 270 x 186 / 5689 Bytes

2025-10-27 300 x 168 / 5544 Bytes

2025-10-27 312 x 156 / 9043 Bytes

2025-10-27 259 x 194 / 8982 Bytes

Rep. Tom Graham’s “Line Pay” Bill: A Non‑Political Remedy for a Long‑Standing Problem

The 2024‑2025 congressional cycle has been marked by a looming threat of a federal shutdown, a situation that has once again placed congressional staffers in a precarious financial position. In an effort to prevent another “shadow budget” crisis, Representative Tom Graham (R‑Fla.) introduced legislation that would create a dedicated line of credit for congressional staff pay during a shutdown—an effort he says is a pragmatic solution, not a partisan ploy.

The article “Graham shutdown line pay: political gain no more” from The Post‑and‑Courier traces the genesis of the bill, the political debate that surrounds it, and its potential impact on the everyday work of Washington’s workforce. Graham, a long‑time advocate for Congressional staff rights, argues that the bill is a natural extension of existing congressional policy, rather than a new political weapon.

Background: The “Shadow Budget” and the Cost of Shutdowns

During the 2018‑2019 government shutdown, more than 400,000 federal employees, including many congressional staff, found themselves without pay for weeks. In Washington, staffers often rely on the same financial buffers that other federal employees do, but Congress has historically relied on a mix of appropriations and special lines of credit to keep operations running.

When a shutdown occurs, the Treasury Department can temporarily transfer “funding” to a “special line” on the Treasury’s “Account for the Treasury, the Treasury's, and the Treasury’s Office of the Director of the Treasury.” However, the mechanics of how that money is routed to individual congressional offices is cumbersome and often leaves staff in a state of uncertainty. Graham’s proposal is to streamline this process by putting a dedicated “line pay” line on the House appropriations bill itself.

The Bill in Detail

The proposed bill, which is currently titled “The Congressional Staff Pay During Government Shutdown Act,” would authorize the House of Representatives to set aside up to $75 million in a “shutdown line pay” account for staffers. The money would be held in a separate line item on the House’s appropriations, thereby making it easier for the Office of the Clerk to distribute it in the event of a shutdown.

Key provisions include:

1. Automatic Activation: If a shutdown is declared, the House Committee on the Budget will automatically transfer the funds to the “line pay” account.
2. Oversight and Transparency: The Treasury’s Office of the Inspector General will audit the account quarterly, and all disbursements will be reported on the House’s public transparency website.
3. Limitations on Use: The account can only be used for staff pay, and it will not be used to pay for travel or other discretionary expenses.
4. Renewal: The line would be a standing provision in the annual appropriations and would be renewed automatically unless the House votes to delete it.

Graham notes that the bill is essentially a procedural change that would make it easier for the Treasury to pay staff without any additional budgetary burden.

Political Reactions

While the bill has garnered bipartisan support in the House, it has also faced criticism from some Democratic representatives who view it as an attempt by Republicans to secure more perks for congressional staff at the expense of the broader public. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R‑Fla.), for instance, called the bill “a clever workaround for a real problem,” while saying that it “doesn’t change the fundamental issue that the government must be funded.”

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez has taken a more nuanced stance. She stated that while she appreciates the intent to protect staffers, the bill “does not address the root causes of government shutdowns,” and that it could be a “tool” that is used to push for a larger “budgetary deficit.”

Graham’s own campaign materials highlight that the bill is “non‑partisan” and designed to ensure that “Congress can do its job without worrying about whether its staff will get paid.” He emphasizes that the measure does not allocate any new money beyond what is already budgeted for congressional staff.

How the Bill Would Work In Practice

The article also includes a side bar that follows the link to the bill’s full text on Congress.gov. The text explains that the line pay account will be tied to the House’s “Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations” bill. The bill contains a footnote that clarifies that the funds would be distributed to individual congressional offices based on the number of staff members and their hourly rates.

The bill’s draft also includes a small appendix that shows a sample calculation. If a Representative’s office has 12 staffers each earning an average of $30,000 per year, the line pay amount for a 30‑day shutdown would be $90,000. In practice, the Treasury would convert the allocation into cash and issue direct deposits to the staff.

A Practical Step Forward

The article concludes by stating that while the bill is a step in the right direction, it is only part of a larger effort that needs to address the systemic issues that lead to shutdowns in the first place. “The real problem is that the federal budget is on a roller coaster,” the piece writes, quoting a senior Treasury official. “We need to get to a stable point where the public, not the staff, is protecting the government.”

Graham has framed the bill as a “political gain no more” because he believes it does not give any particular political party a disproportionate advantage. Instead, it is a straightforward solution to a problem that has long plagued Washington’s workforce.

The bill is currently under consideration by the House Appropriations Committee and is expected to be voted on in the coming weeks. If passed, it will provide a clear, structured mechanism for ensuring that congressional staffers receive timely pay during a shutdown—removing one of the many uncertainties that have haunted Washington for decades.